CAIRO: Pre-revolution had been kind to Egyptians in love. According to statistics published this week by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), there was a 13.9 percent increase in marriages in Egypt during 2010. According to a breakdown from the government agency, the highest rate of marriage for men (between 20-30-years-old) reached 359,792, an increase of 41.6 percent. Egyptians above 65-years-old were understandably the lowest percentage increase, with only a 0.8 percent rise. Women also saw a rise in tying the knot. Women between 20- and 25-years-old saw a 45.9 percent increase in marriage contracts. The CAPMAS report also revealed marriage contracts outside Cairo reached 354,223 in 2010, representing 41 percent of all marriages in the country, an increase of 52.3 percent from 2009. Ironically, the increase in marriages comes as many observers point to the inability for Egyptians to get married as a major part of the January 25 revolution. They cited high food costs and rising inflation as an impediment to couples getting hitched, but the recent statistics appears to prove these arguments false. BM
